Pretty good day at bedok jetty, nice tides brought many tambans in as well as some small queenies and anchovies, but also very disappointing cuz i lost 2 biggies today http://imgur.com/eE7Ovz0
All fishes on sabiki^^^
Found this "new method" of using sabiki too haha
Cast far to surface activity, close the bail immediately and do fast twitches while retrieving, when you stop, you can feel the tambans biting! Then you can set the hook towards the side and get 3-4 tambans haha (worked good for the speedy queenie babies)
When it was around 12-1 pm, I spotted a biggish todak lingering around a tamban school and making attacks around the corners
I got excited and tied a really simple rig (really really simple) just a small size 8 hook on maybe 50-60cm of 6lbs fluoro, didnt even put a split shot and just hooked up a dying kuning i caught earlier. I casted towards the todak and thought i would scare it off since the kuning landed with a splash and was only few cm from the todak, but to my surprise, it whipped around and grabbed the kuning in its beak! I opened my bail to let it run, but it only swam about a metre away lol
I could see it chomping up the kuning because the water was so clear, and when i couldnt see the kuning anymore, i gave it a hard whack to the side. Initially i thought i had failed to get a hookup but suddenly the todak flew out of the water! It fought a while and displayed some acrobatics etc before "tiring".
As i pulled it up maybe 60cm from the water, it flicked hard and tore my hook off.
WHY CANT I LAND MY FIRST LEGIT FISHES IS THIS A CURSEEEE
My first PB threw hook when landing and my first todak ripped my hook off ugh
After that i felt like sht because there were no more todaks and the tambans were starting to get inactive as well, DARK CLOUDS WERE APPROACHING TOO. (Such luck for me)
I moved to a shelter, baited my first LSBF with a live tamban and casted it out around the area where tamban school was resting
As i was trying to jig for more tambans, the rod shaked violently! I grabbed the the rod and felt something BIG on the end of the line. It gave 3 big tugs and then poof. MY WHOLE RIG. GONE.
After that i felt even more lousy, just played abit with the ponyfishes around the pillars then went home
My luck is really getting from bad to worse. I think my biggest fish landed was a 30cm snapper from dbest fishing pro pond
I know everyone loses fishes but i think im on a serious losing streak since i began fishing ;_;

I can see that you had a rather eventful trip! Instead of seeing whether the baitfish is visible, try to take note of where you line is headed as you do not want the todak to take the baitfish and run towards the nearby lines around you, and i would wait about 30 seconds before setting the hook! But that's my personal preference, i have read that other people have waited for longer than that or they judge by the amount of line taken out. If you're keen on targeting todaks, the southern islands like st john and kusu island holds larger specimens and would be fun to fight on light tackle.

As for your LSBF what line poundage did you use to tie your rig? And also was the drag set too tight? There are several reasons i can think of that might have caused you to lose the whole LSBF rig. Drag was set too tight and the lsbf rig gave way, maybe a barracuda bit through the rig? your LSBF rig was tied with very light lines.

On the bright side, at least the fishes were around and you had your bait taken not once but thrice, and you had an possible unknown biggie!

I tied my lsbf with 30lbs mono, and i always set my drag loose enough for my hand to pull out
I can only imagine a barra/mackerel slicing my leader as i couldnt feel a "break", just all of a sudden my line went slack...

And about the todak, it didnt swim much and stopped to eat the bait when it was still visible to me
Plus i was at the edge of the T junction too, so i wasnt around many people
Heard from an uncle that there used to be many todak at BJT, but lately theyre rarer
When people target todak at the southern islands, do they sight cast? I think thats my most comfortable method ahaha

Hmm it seemss that it points down to either a barracuda or the fish cut you off at some structure near the jetty. 30lbs is what i'd normally use too! I'm not sure where else you can find todaks, might want to get some input from alleycat as there are so many places in SG that i have not been to =

That's quite an exciting day for you. For todaks it can really be a hit or miss, they do take time to take in the bait especially if the bait is oversized. As for the lsbf burst, it could be a cuda or mackerel that cut your lines. That's why reaction must always be fast, because if you give them time to swim around they'll take the chance to snip your lines. Better luck next time!